Science Faculty Forced to Make Cuts

June 12, 1998 Memorial University of Newfoundland Volume 48, Number 24 Science faculty forced to make cuts As a result of budget shortfall 27 staff and academic employees will be out of a job By DENISE RIDEOUT sional lecturers won't have their Faculty Association, says he was istration simply laments the cuts cation at Memorial. He says class contracts renewed. astonished that there was no ad and then accommodates them. sizes are expected to get larger and The Faculty of Science has cut In total, 27 people will be out of vanced notice about the decision "I think the university has to students may have problems get more than two dozen staff posi a job. to cut staff and eliminate capital persuade government that it re ting the courses they need to gradu tions and eliminated capital spend University President Art May budgets. quires an appropriate level of fi ate. ing for the upcoming year to make blames the faculty's situation on "Faculty, the people actually nancial support," he said. "If the "It's reducing the core function up a budget shortfall of more than the provincial government's con offering courses, were not advised province makes a decision to have of what the university is about, $1 .5-million. tinued cuts to Memorial's operat and there has been no planning as a university, it needs to make a which is providing university level Nine permanent full-time em ing grant. Since 1994 the universi to how this will actually be dealt decision to have a quality univer education ... it's the centre of the ployees received lay-off notices, ty's operating and capital grants with," Bear said. sity." university - the science and arts while another employee was from government have been cut Bear is critical of how the uni Bear says the science faculty's faculties," he said. moved from full-time to half-time. by $19.6-million. versity has dealt with funding cuts efforts to deal with its budget prob CSU President Tracey O'Reilly A further 18 support staff and ses- John Bear, president ofMUN's in recent years. He says the admin- lems may affect the quality ofedu- • Please see "President" page 2 CSU President attends Liberal convention By DIANE GRANT and SEAN "I think what we need to do is RYAN get a dialogue because oftentimes they just don't understand what For the first time since the 1980s we're talking about," she added. the CSU President has attended a "We have to get through the igno policy conference for a political rance and try to influence policy party as a representative of Me decisions." morial' s students' union. However, O'Reilly says she re In one of her first acts as CSU alizes there are people who see her President Tracey O'Reilly ac attendance at such a function as a cepted an invitation to sit in on last conflict of interest. month's annual provincial Liberal "It's the selling out argument," convention in Gander as an ob she said, adding that she will be server. pushing CSU concerns whenever CSU President Tracey O'Reilly and VP Internal Leigh Borden (1-r) at the week's CSU general O'Reilly says the convention she gets an opportunity to attend meeting. Photo by Michael Connors. was an excellent chance to raise such an event, regardless of which student concerns informally with party offers the invitation. Senate passes review procedure various party members, from grass "Some people think that I President's companion report to be ready in the fall roots supporters to ministers. shouldn't lobby the way I do, by "I figured it would be a very sitting down and talking to people. By MICHAEL CONNORS ing. The report outlines procedures to remove an academic adminis good opportunity for me to go out They think it should be direct ac for routine mid-term reviews for trator until there had been an there and see where they're com tion, like protests and occupations, The Senate has come up with a academic administrators, as well extraordinary performance re ing from, for one thing, and for me exclusively," she said. "I think they way to remove academic adminis as extraordinary reviews which view. A five- to seven-person com to go out and lobby." both complement each other." trators several months after a could lead to their dismissal. mittee made up ofmembers elected O'Reilly also says, while she "People are going to disagree wrongful dismissal suit cost the The Senate accepted the report. by the relevant academic unit and had no voting rights as an observer with me all year and I know that. university more than a quarter of a The procedure's final form, appointed by the administrator's and could only speak after del When I walked in the door I knew million dollars. however, will be determined by immediate superior would conduct egates had been given priority, the that I'm always going to have A special committee of Senate, the Board of Regents, which will the review. opportunity to influence infor somebody [against me]." which was established in Decem consider the Senate's recommen The committee would make rec mally was certainly worthwhile. O'Reilly added she is currently ber 1997 in response to the dis dation as well as a separate report ommendations to the administra "The real meat of the confer not a member of any party, nor missal of Alan Law as dean of from university President Art May. tor's superior, including the possi ence was talking to people after will she bejoining one before leav science, presented its final report Under the Senate's proposal, the ble termination or continuation of wards," she said. "Talking to them ing office. on the matter at the May 12 meet- Board ofRegents wouldn't be able • Please see "Report" page 2 on breaks." • Please see "Debate" page 2 2 ~ NEW·S , The Summer Muse June 12, 1998 Report outlines process for th.e dismissal of .administration • Conti.nued from page 1 research, and the president. "There is some concern in some open to negative feedback through and-a-half years may be too soon the administrator's appointment. The procedure also includes a areas of the university that this the extraordinary review, but none for a new dean to undergo a formal But the final decision would re routine mid-term review which would weaken managerial rights," of the positive feedback a routine routine review." main with the Board of Regents would take place during the ad he said. "I don't think it would review might offer. Murphy added that to respond on the recommendation of the ministrator's first term only. Ex because we have provided for ex "It will surely be recognized," to an exceptional circumstance president, although the Board traordinary reviews would have to traordinary reviews which could he continued, "that a professional such as the dismissal of Alan Law would receive the review com be initiated on the recommenda be initiated from above or below accountant who endorses a report with routine reviews is more than mittee's report. tion of the mid-term review com the administrator in question, and which does not recognize the ne what was called for. He said a The procedure also provides for mittee, the administrator's imme I think that is quite appropriate." cessity for regular audits will, de proc~dure with an extraordinary the administrator in question to diate superior, or by a majority During the Senate meeting and pending on context, be open to review only would have been ad appear before the Board to pro vote ofthe relevant academic coun within the committee itself, there professional censure and, with it, equate. vide a defence; a point of conten cil if it receives a petition signed was debate about the mid-term the possibility of a lawsuit for pro Murphy did agree, however, that tion when Law was dismissed. by 20 per cent of its members. review procedure. Committee fessional negligence ..." receiving routine feedback is use For the purposes of the proce Committee member Chris member Lessey Sooklal filed a "The university, I recognize, is ful and said he had no problem dure, the Senate defines academic Sharpe says the intention of the dissenting report because the pro an institution like no other. But submitting to the mid-term review. administrators as deans, directors procedure is to strike a balance cedure doesn't include routine re this does not, I submit, entitle us to "I see value in it. I don't know of academic units, the heads of the between an academic administra views after the first term. fundamental departures from pro that it is a necessity." Marine institute and Sir Wilfred tor's accountability to their imme Sooklal' s report stated that with fessional principles which are Art May did not want to com Grenfell College, the vice-presi diate superior and to the faculty out those routine reviews, aca grounded upon both experience ment on the Senate's proposal. He dents in charge of academics and members they administer. demic administrators would be and reason." said his own report, which the Committee chair Mark Graesser Board directed him to conduct last says a majority of the committee fall, would be ready in a couple of Debate sparked. over usefulness had initially been in favour of months. Sooklal' s position. But the com As a response to the contro mittee backed off as a compro versy created by the dismissal of of conf erance attendance mise with those who raised con Alan Law, Graesser says this pro • Continued from page 1 Fitzpatrick says the CSU has to be on in?" cerns that at the beginning of an cedurecouldhaveresolveditmore Newfoundland and Labrador sure it establishes one permanent He also added such events usu administrator's second term they satisfactorily.

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